date night = success.

so saturday night, the hubster and i managed to sneak away from the girls to enjoy a mini night on the town. a mama friend of mine told me about her husband's restaurant in downtown vancouver called calabash which serves authentic carribbean food and a crazy extensive rum list. so we kept that place in the back of our minds and as soon as a free night was available we thought we'd check it out.

we dropped the girls off at my sister's place with emma spending the night and olivia just til we got back. 4 kids under one roof! (don't worry, they already know we're returning the favor!) hopping back into the car felt very strange without any of the girls because it so very seldom happens. but we knew spending time alone together would be good for us so it wasn't too difficult to get back into date mode.

we arrived at calabash and were welcomed with a charming atmosphere and great music. the host asked us if we had a reservation -we didn't, but managed to get us a table. within minutes the place was bumpin! our server was amazing, she knew the menu and suggested dishes with absolute ease. we started off with drinks and from a drink menu that has 2 pages of just rum selections, it was difficult to choose!

hubby started with a "reggae on broadway"  and i ordered a "coconut jumby" a delicious cocktail with organic coconut water, rum, agave syrup and muddled lemongrass, mint and lime -tasted slightly like a mojito but waaaay nicer!

next was the appy/entree , followed by another appy of crab cakes lol! 

we started with this yam pave with goat cheese and thyme sauce followed by seafood curry.

if we could've ordered everything off the menu we would have..it was THAT good.

hubby also ordered zacapa, a rum from guatemala, which he thorougly enjoyed!

next was dessert..it was again very hard to decide but we went with the chocolate banana trifle..absolutely perfect.

overall it was reasonably priced and the atmosphere was awesome. we'll definitely be back for more..perhaps also to check out a show in their lounge below the restaurant! (but with reservations next time!)

we ended off the night visiting with some friends whose birthdays were being celebrated that evening. although it would've been a blast to party the night away, duty was calling in the back of my mind..so it was time to go home.

our little olivia was bright-eyed and bushy tailed when we went back to pick her up (its 1am at this point..eek!) but it was good news to hear the girls were on their best behavior so that mum and dad could enjoy a little time to ourselves. after all, its important to have that time away to grow and bond as a couple!

so as the title says, date night = success. we had a great time reconnecting..with a busy life and 2 children on top of that, you tend to lose sight of all the reasons why you've built a family with your better half. the laundry piles up, the dishwasher needs emptying, a diaper needs changing or a story needs to be read. having those few little hours to ourselves recharged our batteries and we're ready to take on our world =)